When actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his apartment of a heroin overdose in February, the syringe was still in his arm. Investigators found a supply of buprenorphine, sold under the brand names Suboxone, Subutex and Butrans.
Buprenorphine is a relatively new opioid (narcotic) medication that was approved in 2002 to treat addiction to heroin and other narcotics. It has fewer side effects than methadone, and taking larger amounts does not produce a greater high, which means there is a lower risk of abuse and overdose. Buprenorphine can still be addictive, however, and has become a popular street drug.
Purpose and Use
The purpose of using a substitute narcotic to treat narcotic dependence is this: taking buprenorphine, (or methadone) prevents the body from going into withdrawal, but does not produce the high associated with heroin or other narcotic drugs. Thus a person taking Suboxone, for example, is able to withdraw from their drug of choice without having to experience the side effects of withdrawal. Side effects can be severe and include intense cravings, profuse sweating, severe muscle and bone aches, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and fever.
Buprenorphine is also FDA-approved to treat moderate to severe pain, and is sometimes used off-label to treat depression.
Effects
Users of buprenorphine report that it makes them feel calm and relaxed; an overall good feeling, but very unlike the euphoric high of heroin and some prescription narcotics. Side effects include slow breathing; dizziness or confusion; problems sleeping; nausea; sweating; stomach pain; or constipation.
Incidence & prevalence
In a report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) buprenorphine ranked last in prevalence of abuse among seven commonly abused narcotics, including oxycontin, hydrocodone, methadone and morphine, among others.
The investigators found that the majority of buprenorphine abusers were young white males who had “extensive histories” of substance abuse. Additionally, more than a third of those users said they took buprenorphine in an effort to self-medicate or to ease the symptoms of heroin withdrawal
Trends in the use of buprenorphine (in the US)
Buprenorphine is increasingly being prescribed by physicians to treat opioid withdrawal. When using methadone for treatment, clients have to make daily visits to an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) to receive their daily dose. This is difficult for those who don’t have easy access to an OTP—especially rural populations—and can interfere with jobs and other activities.
Prescriptions dispensed for buprenorphine, increased from around 50,000 prescriptions in 2002 to approximately 5.7 million prescriptions in 2009. Additionally, the number of OTPs offering buprenorphine increased from 11% in 2003 to 51% in 2011. According to the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) the number of physicians certified to prescribe buprenorphine doubled between 2005 and 2007.
NIDA plans to test the efficacy and safety of this medication across a range of populations, including teenagers and pregnant women, and to “spread the word” about the value of buprenorphine in the treatment of narcotic addiction. So while the abuse of the drug is decreasing, the legitimate use of buprenorphine is increasing, and the drug is becoming more available through both physicians and OTPs.
Mortality
A one year study published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology in 2006 found that the mortality rate for buprenorphine was similar to that of methadone, about 1%. Subjects in this study did not necessarily die from an overdose, as there is a high comorbidity among opiate addicts.
Mortality reported to poison centers and compiled by the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center between 2006 and 2007 found that there were 5 deaths associated with buprenorphine, compared with 126 with methadone during the same time period.
If you’d like to find out more about buprenorphine, or if you have questions about drug testing, please contact us.